Capgemini’s Strategy for a Sustainable Future with Tom Mosseau

In a revealing discussion with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Tom Mosseau, the President and Managing Director at Capgemini Canada, delved into the transformative role of digital solutions in sustainable development. Tom’s journey from different leadership roles to spearheading Capgemini’s initiatives in Canada exemplifies his deep-seated commitment to integrating technology with ecological sustainability. His team is pioneering in leveraging digital transformation to enhance business practices while significantly lowering carbon footprints. Through initiatives like adopting renewable energy sources and pushing for electric vehicle fleets, Capgemini not only supports sustainability but also sets a benchmark for the industry. Tom highlighted the vital role of innovative digital strategies in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with global sustainability goals. He emphasized that real progress in sustainability requires embedding eco-friendly practices across all operations and throughout the supply chain, a principle that Capgemini champions rigorously.

Tom Mosseau is the President and Managing Director at Capgemini Canada. With a deep focus on digital transformation, his team is dedicated to transforming businesses in Canada by harnessing the power of technology. Tom is a seasoned leader who has been a key member of Canada’s leadership team for several years. With more than 20 years of experience in developing trusted relationships, he has consistently delivered growth, operational excellence, and value to clients. Prior to his current role, Tom led the utilities industry in Canada.

The “Eco-Digital Era” report suggests that Canada is only beginning to tap into the potential of technology for sustainability. Could you identify the primary areas where you see significant growth opportunities in Canada’s eco-digital economy?

Canada’s eco-digital economy constitutes 1.5% of the global digital economy, while the U.S.’ digital economy constitutes one-fourth (25.8%) of the global digital economy representing huge untapped potential in Canada.?

Prioritizing scaling mainstream technologies, bolstering cybersecurity, and reskilling the workplace are all significant growth opportunities for Canada’s eco-digital economy.??

The report notes that digital technologies have enabled a 24% reduction in energy consumption and a 21% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. Can you provide specific examples of how Capgemini’s initiatives align with these findings??

As a responsible business, we’re determined to play a leading role in ensuring technology creates a more sustainable future while helping our clients address their environmental challenges. As a sustainable business, reducing carbon emissions across scopes 1, 2, and 3 is important for us and we are working to achieve a 90% reduction in all carbon emissions scopes by 2040.?

There are four main areas where we are working to reduce our carbon emissions:

• Reducing our travel impact: As a global company, travel, including business travel and commuting, is one of our biggest impacts. Increasing our virtual collaboration capabilities and digital workplace initiatives while still finding ways to connect has helped us reduce our carbon footprint.?

• Moving to an electric vehicle fleet: We are significantly increasing our investment in electric charging points and have accelerated the roll out of a hybrid and electric car fleet.?

• Transitioning to renewable energy: We are working towards a target of 100% renewable energy use by 2025. As of now, 87% of our electricity comes from renewable sources. We’re also increasing the sustainability performance of our offices and data centers, intensifying our focus on energy efficiency.

• Driving sustainability across our supply chain: As a sustainable business it is important for us that our supply chain is also green. For years we have been committed to cutting our carbon emissions and we were one of the first companies in our industry to have our carbon reduction targets validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative. In 2022 we set out to achieve a 90%reduction in all carbon emissions across scopes 1,2, and 3 by 2040.?

For Canadian organizations to make a significant impact on their net-zero targets, they will need to recognize and understand the role Scope 3 emissions play in their overall emissions footprint. Often left unmeasured, Scope 3 emissions, which include emissions produced throughout the supply chain,? tend to be the largest contributor to an organization’s emissions footprint? In fact, it is estimated that supply chains contribute up to 80% of these GHG emissions. To combat this, Capgemini engages with partners across the supply chain ecosystem to drive an end-to-end transformation journey.??

Considering that 60% of organizations expect digitally driven business models to generate more revenue than traditional models, as per the “Eco-Digital Era” report, how is Capgemini adapting its business strategies to capitalize on this trend?

Digital transformation is a major key to unlocking a profitable net zero future for all businesses. In addition to Capgemini’s award-winning portfolio of specific sustainability enablers, we’re embedding sustainability in every solution we have, because every digital transformation can be a sustainability driver for our clients as well.?

New digital revenue models can also pose a threat to progress towards net zero goals if sustainability isn’t at the heart of the design at every stage. These revenue streams must be based on principles of circularity for both the hardware enabling them and the end product itself, and the solutions which power them must be designed with efficiency and minimal resource requirements in mind.

Capgemini seeks to take advantage of the digital revolution to capitalize on these trends ourselves – we are leveraging our GreenIT approach to support sustainable digital tools which enable our people to provide the highest quality partnership to our clients with minimal carbon footprint, particularly from air travel, as we work toward our 2040 net zero commitment.?

How is Capgemini approaching workforce development and reskilling, and what impact do you foresee on the Canadian labour market?

At Capgemini, we believe that reskilling and upskilling are critical for building a competitive advantage and organizational resilience, and according to our latest research, it appears that Canadian organizations agree. The Eco-Digital Era report reveals that 73% of Canadian organizations are investing in reskilling existing workforces, making Canada the second leading country globally when it comes to reskilling the workforce.?

With emerging technologies and the mass adoption of AI, reskilling has become more important than ever for Canadian organizations to maintain a competitive advantage. In fact, 60% of Canadian organizations are investing in emerging technologies such as AI, AR/VR, and blockchain.?

At Capgemini, we invest in learning and development opportunities that allow our employees to grow without barriers. We provide mentorship opportunities as well as have programming in place such as the Women’s Leadership Development Program which is focused on investing in women in leadership.??

The “Eco-Digital Era” report projects a significant growth in the eco-digital economy globally. Where does Capgemini see Canada in this global landscape in the next five years??

The global eco-digital economy is poised for substantial growth, projected to expand from the current $16.6 trillion to around $33 trillion by 2028. This shift is underlined by the role digital technologies play in emissions reduction, more than offsetting their carbon footprints.?

In Canada, the country is expected to increase its investments in digital initiatives from 3% to 5% over the next five years. These investments should yield significant returns, growing from 8% in 2023 to 13% in 2028.?